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New Zealand · Waikato

M3.1 Earthquake near South Waikato District, Waikato (New Zealand)

UTC time: 2026-05-23 20:32:04 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M3.1
Depth
216.3 km
Source
EMSC

Waikato · South Waikato District

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M3.1 earthquake was recorded near South Waikato District, Waikato (New Zealand) on May 23, 2026 at 20:32 UTC. At around 216 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Shaking of this size is frequently noticed but usually harmless.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. New Zealand: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 3 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.0.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 216.3 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 216.3 km
Intermediate
216.3 km
216.3 km — deeper than the regional average (70.9 km)
Regional average: 70.9 km
Why depth matters

Intermediate-depth quakes are felt across a wider area but usually cause less surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Volcanoes nearby

  • Okataina
    Distance: 45 km ·Lava dome(s) ·Elevation: 1'111 m ·Last eruption: 1981 ·New Zealand
  • Taupo
    Distance: 75 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 760 m ·Last eruption: 260 ·New Zealand
  • Tuhua/Mayor Island
    Distance: 96 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 355 m ·Last eruption: -5055 ·New Zealand
  • Tongariro
    Distance: 120 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'978 m ·Last eruption: 2012 ·New Zealand
  • Whakaari/White Island
    Distance: 123 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 294 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·New Zealand
  • Ruapehu
    Distance: 135 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'797 m ·Last eruption: 2007 ·New Zealand

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Rotorua Regional AirportNew Zealand · ROT · NZRO
    27.8 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Waikato

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 65 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · New Zealand

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Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · New Zealand

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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